the glass factory.           
                                        
                                        
                                      
                                  
                                  
                                          
 several  centuries  after  it  had  last 
 belonged to us, we went on  an outing to 
 the glass factory  that  bore our family 
 name. it had  changed owners  many times 
 since  our  ancestors  death,  and  then 
 stood  abandoned  for  a   long   while. 
 finally,  the natural  end  station  for 
 the  buildings that  survive: a  museum, 
 and a gift shop.                         
                                          
 there's  a  long  time  since  my family 
 made  anything.  by many,  we  would  be 
 considered poor.                         
                                          
 there are  two  main  factory buildings, 
 domed things of several floors,  made in 
 yellow brick. large  but narrow windows, 
 reminescent     of    some    cathedral. 
 custom-made glass, of course, large  and 
 leaded, and ashen.  a bit too dark to be 
 practical.   on  the  eastern  building, 
 some are shattered.                      
                                          
 the other one is  publicly open. there's 
 a museum, with wax  figures of  my great 
 great great  grandfather, or  something. 
 various tools  (or replicas) laid out on 
 tables, with explaining texts.  a lot of 
 glass      of     varying     thickness. 
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 i quickly sneak  out, and climb into the 
 other   building.    the   contrast   is 
 overwhelming.   it   must   have   stood 
 derelict  for  a   long  time,   windows 
 broken,  metallic  trash  and  pools  of 
 dark  glass  all   over  the  floor.  no 
 electric lights, but i  can  see by  the 
 light that shines in  wherever  the dark 
 windows    are    missing     a    pane. 
                                          
 however,  the greatest difference is the 
 higher floors: this  building  has none. 
 it is one  massive hall, stretching away 
 infinitely above  me. somewhere up there 
 is  some  great  iron latticework,  from 
 where chains  are suspended,  and  parts 
 of  machinery  has  been  falling  down. 
                                          
 there is, in  the  middle  of  the great 
 hall,  a  thin  spiral  staircase   that 
 leads up there. i sneak over there,  and 
 take a few reluctant  steps. after  just 
 a  revolution,  i  notice that for  each 
 step the  building starts to  glow,  the 
 bricks  turning a  dark  red,  and  then 
 orange,  all  the piled up debree  being 
 lit from behind.                         
                                          
 i  stop ready to  run down  and out, but 
 there's  someone  else  on the staircase 
 with   me  now,  pressed   close.   he's 
 looking like  me, short  hair  and  thin 
 arms, but  with  ears  from some animal, 
 and more disturbingly,  completely  made 
 of dark liquid glass.                    
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 my  fear  holds  me in  place  while  he 
 starts  operating  levers  and dials set 
 in  the center of the staircase. slowly, 
 it starts  spinning,  circling  upwards. 
 it's   an   elevator!  i  start  to  run 
 downwards,  but   now  the  liquid   boy 
 creature grabs  hold of  me.  i  try  to 
 shake him off, but he's  too strong, and 
 pulls    me    back   up   beside   him. 
                                          
 this  time, i  turn  angry instead. what 
 the hell? who is  this guy, acting  like 
 this? i reach  out my free arm and  slam 
 a  random  lever.  some  metal   bar  is 
 suddenly  released between  us,  hitting 
 him on  the arm,  forcing my  release. i 
 shove him off of  me, and  he falls into 
 the    levers,    messing    them    up. 
 immediately,  a  thin  rusty   chainmail 
 curtain  is dropped  around me.  but the 
 elevator also  speeds  up significantly. 
                                          
 the   walls  are  flaring  now,  yellow, 
 white, almost blue. i close my  eyes and 
 curl into a ball. but  then,  the  glass 
 boy  screams,  a  piercing  sound   that 
 forces my eyes back open. i watch  as he 
 becomes too  liquid,  his  body  pooling 
 down in  his now  massive  tail, and the 
 tip of it  suddenly breaks of in a glass 
 drop  that  falls  toward   the  factory 
 floor.                                   
                                          
 he's  crawling on the stairs,  unable to 
 keep his body  upright.  can't reach the 
 levers,  claws  at  my  chainmail  cage, 
 while  his body  is  turning  into  dark 
 pearls.  finally, he's  lost too much of 
 himself  and the  scream  is  cut short. 
 the   last    of   him    rains    down. 
                                          
 i  still can't  reach  the  levers  from 
 within  my cage. looking up,  i  try  to 
 make  out  the ceiling, but  it's all  a 
 whirling sea  of colours. below me glows 
 the hellfire of  the factory walls,  but 
 very faint.  i  sit down, curl  back up, 
 become still.                            
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 a  large  clunk shakes my  entire  body, 
 and  snaps  me  back  into reality.  i'm 
 back  at  the  factory  floor,  but  the 
 stairs   are  still   moving   slightly, 
 clicking in  place, carrying me the last 
 few  centimeters.  i  came  from  below, 
 somehow.  the  chainmail  is  retracted, 
 and  i   slowly  dismount   the  stairs. 
                                          
 shaking and crying,  i make my  way over 
 the factory floor,  wading through  dark 
 glass marbles. a quick glance down,  and 
 i  see  there's  something  faint inside 
 them.    embryos?   are    these   eggs? 
                                          
 i   shudder,   and   climb   back   out.